


Midnight

by SylvanFreckles



Series: Twelve Days of Fictmas 2020 [7]
Category: Sly Cooper (Video Games)
Genre: F/M, Heist, Humor, Masquerade Ball, between games 2 and 3, jump and hit the circle button, just for fun
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-20
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:01:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28181316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SylvanFreckles/pseuds/SylvanFreckles
Summary: A heist at a ball leads to an unexpected meeting with Carmelita...not that Sly's complaining.
Relationships: Bentley & Sly Cooper, Sly Cooper/Carmelita Fox
Series: Twelve Days of Fictmas 2020 [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2055069
Kudos: 8





	Midnight

**Author's Note:**

> Sly Cooper is set in the same universe as Animal Crossing. Change my mind.
> 
> And in the future that's where Fox McCloud comes from, which is the planet Hillys from Beyond Good and Evil. I can do this all day.

This part was easy. He didn't even need to look for the thief sparkles for his ancestral skills anymore, Sly Cooper's eyes automatically calculated the best route up the drainpipe to the small open window on the third floor of the manor.

“ _According to my blueprints that should be a laundry room,”_ Bentley spoke up over the 'coms as Sly wrapped his hands around the pipe and easily climbed up. _“The North wing of the third floor is mainly utilities and all the servants will either be working the ball or at their own party in the basement, so you should be clear.”_

“Excellent,” Sly replied. He squeezed through the window and brought his binoc-u-com up so Bentley could get a look at the interior of the laundry room. “What's next? Scavenge for a tuxedo in the guest rooms?”

“ _Ha ha. You should be able to find something here, Lady Murcielago's extended family has been staying with her for a few weeks now in preparation for the wedding, I'm sure someone is your size.”_

“Copy that.” He tucked the 'com away and focused on a rack of clothes at one end of the room. These were all cleaned and pressed, no doubt to be delivered to the guests in the morning. Surely no one would mind if he borrowed a suite for a few minutes.

Lady Edith Murcielago was the only daughter of one of the founding members of the Golden Talon, an international society intent on world domination. They'd somehow gotten their hands on some of Clockwerk's blueprints, which should have been destroyed with Clock-La, and rumor had it the Golden Talon was trying to bring the old bird back to life.

Sly and Bentley didn't know if Edith Murcielago was involved, but she held one of the access keys for her father's lab. Tonight was the rehearsal dinner for her wedding, complete with a masquerade ball (which was, admittedly, a little odd this close to Christmas, but at least it gave them a way in).

“There we go!” Sly slipped into a red dress jacket with gold buttons and braid, something that looked it had been taken from a life-sized nutcracker. There was one of those tall, fuzzy hats that went with it, and even some knee-high boots someone had left in the corner to be polished up. Sly adjusted the costume and pulled out the mask that Bentley had rigged up for this mission. It was a little bigger and more cumbersome than the mask he usually wore, but the turtle had wired a camera and 'com link into the mask so it could double as a binoc-u-com.

“ _Remember, she wears the key around her neck at all times. If you can get her to dance with you, you should be able to swap it out.”_

“I got it, I remember the plan. Don't worry so much.” Sly peered around the door to check that the hallway was empty before he exited the room. He could hear the sounds of the ball on the first floor below him, but he only had to find the interior balconies on this floor.

Lady Murcielago's ballroom was easily a hundred feet across and four stories high. Balconies along the upper floors looked down over the main floor, where guests in colorful costumes swirled around in a dance. “Bentley?” Sly asked, leaning against the railing to study the guests.

“ _Bringing up her dressmaker's order. She's in an opera singer costume, it's a red and cream striped dress with a black lace collar, and from the number of roses she ordered for tonight I bet she's wearing some of those, too.”_

“Black lace and roses,” Sly confirmed. There were a few costumes in the same color scheme, but after a few minutes he finally located Lady Murcielago. She was smaller than he expected, and the costume was flattering against her white fur while the mask framed her large, dark eyes. Her face was pointed, almost like a fox's, but Sly knew the long sleeves and elegant train of her costume were tailored to fit a bat.

Speaking of fox's...

“Bentley? We've got a complication.” Sly zoomed in with the mask's hidden camera, picking out another familiar figure among the swirling guests.

“ _Carmelita? She's not supposed to be here!”_

“Maybe I should go say hi.”

“ _No! Sly, no! Don't forget, we're here for a mission...not so you can flirt with Carmelita!”_

“It'll just take a second,” Sly teased. He twisted his head around to locate the nearest staircase, but when he didn't find one he just dropped from the balcony to shimmy down the support column.

“ _You only have until midnight, then everyone is supposed to take their masks off.”_

“Plenty of time,” Sly replied, soothingly. “Just a quick dance or two, and we're good to go.” He ignored Bentley's frustrated groans in the 'com and focused on weaving his way through the crowd of dancers to the spot where he'd last seen Lady Murcielago.

The white bat was standing off to the side, fidgeting with her bracelets and watching the crowd. Sly felt a little bad for her—when they'd been going through her files, Bentley had mentioned she'd faced a lot of bullying growing up because she'd been born with albinism. As far as they could tell she'd devoted her life to charity work, and was only connected to the Golden Talon through her father.

“Lady Murcielago?”

“Oh!” She spun to face him, eyes wide behind her mask. “Hello! Are you enjoying my masquerade?”

Sly sketched out a bow and held out his hand. “I'll enjoy it more if you'll dance with me?”

Lady Murcielago fidgeted and looked down at her hands. “I'm not...I'm not a very good dancer, I'm afraid. I just like watching everyone have fun.”

“Hey,” Sly leaned in a little closer. “Me too. Don't worry, it'll be fun,” he added with a smile. His biggest, flirtiest smile...the one that made Carmelita furious.

After another moment's hesitation, Lady Murcielago took his hand, and Sly easily pulled her onto the floor. She stumbled against him for a moment, and he had a chance to see the clasp on her necklace. It wouldn't take much to open the necklace and swap out the key for the decoy Bentley had given him. He lowered her into a dip that had her squealing in surprise, and took that moment to open the back of her necklace. With the decoy concealed in his palm, he slipped the thin chain free as he spun her under and swapped out the real key for the fake. Then, as the dance concluded, he let the necklace fall to the ground just as the music died.

“Oh my goodness,” Lady Murcielago said as Sly bent over to retrieve the necklace. “Thank you, that must have come loose. It was a gift from my father.”

“It's a lovely one,” Sly commented. He slipped the chain back around the bat's neck and fastened it tightly, letting the decoy key rest below her throat. “Thank you for such a lovely dance, Lady Murcielago,” he added with a bow.

She giggled and curtsied, then was immediately asked to dance by another guest at the ball.

Sly hoped she'd have fun...and that they'd never see her again. If she could stay clear of her father's business, she'd have no reason to cross the Cooper Gang ever again.

He turned to leave and nearly plowed right into Carmelita. “Oh, hello...uh, officer.”

Carmelita's eyes narrowed behind her mask. “How did you know who I am.”

“Well, uh, who hasn't heard of the famous Carmelita Fox?” Sly ad-libbed, lamely. “You-you caught all those criminals a few years back! The, er, the Fearsome Five?”

She folded her arms. “The Fiendish Five,” she corrected. “And I know it's you, Cooper.”

Sly laughed and edged away from the crowd. She didn't have her shock pistol in hand, at least, though she could be hiding it under that ball gown. “I don't know what you're talking about, officer.”

“Why are you here? I thought you only went after criminals, and Edith hasn't done anything wrong.”

Ouch. That wasn't the usual dulcet fury in her voice...that was disappointment. “I'm sorry, you've mistaken me for some devilishly handsome rascal,” Sly continued. He backed against one of the banquet tables and felt around on the centerpiece for something to distract the officer with.

“Did you come here to steal something? Or are you following me?”

His hand finally closed around something. He held up his free hand, finger raised as though to make a point. “Can't it be both?”

Carmelita stormed forward. She had a pair of handcuffs in her hand...of course she did. Even at a costume ball she was prepared to make an arrest. “Don't make me get my shock pistol, Cooper. What are you here for.”

“This,” Sly whipped his other hand around, a sprig of mistletoe clasped between his fingers. He leaned towards Carmelita until he was holding the plant over her head and pressed a kiss to her cheek.

She reacted as usual, hand flying to her face in shock, expression softening with affection, and Sly had a few seconds to make his getaway.

He was halfway up the support column to the third floor when he heard her scream in rage, just as the big clock in the ballroom rang out for midnight. Sly leaned back over the balcony and whipped his own mask off, touching it to his forehead in salute as Carmelita began pushing her way through the crowd in a futile attempt to find him.

“Until next time, Inspector Fox.”

**Author's Note:**

> Edith Murcielago is an albino flying fox, if you're curious. I love flying foxes, with their little fox faces and their nightmare membrane wings. 
> 
> * * *
> 
> Next time: Downhill - "I am never listening to you ever again."


End file.
